Date First Reported: September 2015

Primary Name Associated: Zhang Yuan

Description of Potential Fraud:

A New York firm notified us that they received an email from the purported Zhang Yuan of Julong Machinery Co looking to retain them with regards to making a large commercial purchase.

This appears to be a bad cheque scam that presents as legal matter requiring the assistance of a lawyer. In this scam lawyers will be duped into wiring real funds from their trust accounts after depositing a fake cheque received as payment from the purchaser (who is part of the fraud).

See our Confirmed Fraud Page for more of an explanation of how these frauds work and to see other names associated with it. Our Fraud Fact Sheet lists the red flags of a bogus legal matter that is really a fraud.

Here is the initial contact message sent to the lawyer:

I am writing you on behalf of my company; Julong Machinery CO, LTD. We are in the process of starting an equipment sales transaction with a client in your country. Please advise if your firm handles sales /purchase transactions and agreement as we are in need of a competent and reliable law firm to represent us. We will be happy to get a referral from you if this is not your area of practice. PS: I got your contact details via http://www.avvo.com/ as we are in dire need of a competent lawyer to handle this matter for us. Due to language barrier and time difference, communication via e-mail will be most preferable at this time. Regards, Ms. Zhang Yuan Sales Manager Julong Machinery CO, LTD. JuLong Industrial Zone, Huanglou Town, Qingzhou City, Shandong Province, China EMAIL: [email protected] TEL: +86-536-3837236 FAX: +86-536-3836888

Responding to the message brought this response:

This is a follow up email in regards to my request to you in my previous email; my company is in the process of selling one of its Dredgers. Please find below the name of the proposed buyer for your conflict check.

I want to know your hourly rate for preparing and reviewing a purchase agreement, I have attached some necessary details of the Dredger for your review please advise me on your rate, initial retainer fee and forward me your retainer agreement.

The buyer expects a high level of confidentiality in this project because they are currently undergoing a merger process and will like to manage all information relating to all their current on-going transactions.

If you have been targeted by any of these frauds, please forward any of the emails and supporting documents that you have received to [email protected]

If you suspect you are acting on a matter that might be a fraud, call LAWPRO at 1-800-410-1013 (416-598-5899). We will talk you through the common fraud scenarios we are seeing and help you spot red flags that may indicate you are being duped. This will help you ask appropriate questions of your client to determine if the matter is legitimate or not. If the matter you are acting on turns out to be a fraud and there is a potential claim, we will work with you to prevent the fraud and minimize potential claims costs.

If you have been successfully duped, please immediately notify LAWPRO as there may be a claim against you.

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Fraud Fact SheetMore fraud prevention information and resources are available on the practicePRO Fraud page, including the Fraud Fact Sheet, a handy reference for lawyers and law firm staff that describes the common frauds and the red flags that can help identify them.